In chapter twelve, Meggs’ History of Graphic design introduced
the early developmental stages of branding and marketing with an overall
cohesion throughout in the identity of AEG (Allgemeine Elekrizitätz-Gesellsschaft)
designed by Peter Behrens in 1908. When
looking at the majority of his pages, pamphlets, posters, and other paraphernalia
of AEG, there is a clear and distinct look and feel that is consistently
portrayed through and through. Behren’s Roman style font, designed specifically
for AEG, and the use of the circle contained in a box and echoed from page to
page. This played a crucial role in corporate identity overall and pulled away
from confused designs of the prior century. What was curious to see was the
handling of corporate identity when modern art began to grasp the world and how
branding was handled when there was a broader spectrum of information to be
delivered.
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| Logo and poster designs for AEG by Peter Behrens, 1907 |
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| Gyorgy Kepes |
The Container Corporation of America (CCA) was founded in
1926 by Walter P. Paepcke out of Chicago, Illinois, by uniting fourteen smaller
paper box and container manufacturers. Employing Egbert Jacobson as art
director in 1936 and often commissioning influential designers and talent such
as Herbert Matter, Herbert Bayer, A.M. Cassandre, Lázló Moholo-Nagy, Jean Carlu,
Fernand Léger,
Gyorgy Kepes, CCA lead the way in corporate graphics for packaging, logos,
posters, publication, and advertising. The company was in business until 1968
when it was merged with the merchandise company, Montgomery Ward.
As a packaging company, CCA had to advertise directly to other
companies and create and identity for themselves. Armed with modern design aficionados
from the Bauhaus proved to be prolific in interesting in the handling of
branding and advertisement.
 | |
| Container Corporation of America | 1943 |
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| Herbert Bayer |
CCA ads were very modern for the times, purposeful, and constructivist
in nature. The images produced almost always used symbols to convey ideas as
well as the function of their product and while none of the designs could be considered
similar, their Bauhaus and constructivist influences unite them. Another
mainstay and consistency about the designs which would inherently “say” CCA is on each CCA advertisement box
container exists. The box may be closed, open, with a smaller container next to
it, or multiple containers next to it, but it always exists on the page with a
three dimensionality to it. This three dimensional, high contrast box was
Container Corporation of America’s trademark.
 |
| Toni Zepf 1938 |
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| A.M. Cassandre, c.1940 |
However, Unlike Peter
Behren’s AEG Identity, CCA seemed to lack a specified font for the wordtype. The
only consistency here is that the words, Container Corporation of America, appeared
in all capitals in a san-serif font.
CCA’s 3D box logo continued in use until it was redesigned by
Jacobson’s art director successor, Ralph Eckerstrom, in 1957. The new logo showed
“CCA” inside a box that could be seen as opening up to the left or down to the
right in a dual perspective.
There is a large catalog of CCA advertisements if just Google Container Corporation of America. Here are a few I found interesting:
Sources
Meggs’ History of Graphic Design
Oxford Dictionary of Modern Design
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